


The Bloody Way to My Heart

by Sable_Nakahara



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, Fluff, Frustrated Arthur, High School, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Merlin Melee, Merlin's Neckerchief (Merlin), Modern Era, Morgana is a good sister, Pining, Shipper Gwen, arthur has a penchant for neckerchiefs, artist Arthur, bloody nose, shipper Morgana, shy boys, the melee challenge, the_melee_challenge, they just wanna date and snog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29195193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sable_Nakahara/pseuds/Sable_Nakahara
Summary: It was a silly thing, Arthur thought, to be sodistractedby such a small piece of cloth. It was hardly worth a second thought; yet, he'd found that every other thought of his own seemed to be about it. From the off-red, almostpinkcolor - and really why couldn't it be just one or the other? - to the tattered, frayed-looking edges, and the way it wrapped around its subject's neck. He just couldn't stop thinking about it.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 105
Collections: The Melee Challenge





	The Bloody Way to My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This took waaaaay too long but hopefully it's enjoyable XD any mistakes are my own, let me know if you see any! 
> 
> Written for:  
> Merlin Fic Book Club Melee  
> Word prompt: School  
> Color Prompt: #E85D75

It was a silly thing, Arthur thought, to be so _distracted_ by such a small piece of cloth. It was hardly worth a second thought; yet, he'd found that every other thought of his own seemed to be about it. From the off-red, almost _pink_ color - and really why couldn't it be just one or the other? - to the tattered, frayed-looking edges, and the way it wrapped around its subject's neck. He just couldn't stop thinking about it. 

He sighed frustratedly and slammed his notebook - which was definitely not full of doodles of that garrish cloth and it's subject's outrageously sharp cheekbones - closed and shoved it in his bag. 

Perhaps the lunch period would take his mind off it, he hoped. 

But, as fate would have it, he would have no such luck. There at his lunch table, he spotted it immediately. Sitting at the end and talking rather animatedly, was the dastardly owner of that small bit of cloth. 

Rolling his eyes, he came to the spot he normally took up and sat his backpack down, pointedly making a lot of noise in doing so. 

"Hey, mate," Elyan greeted, "I've found another person to fill the spot on our footy team.” He grinned, “Merlin here has finally agreed to join us."

“Didn’t have much of a choice, did I?” Merlin joked and raised an eyebrow at him, “You and Gwaine have been nagging me all month.” 

“That’s cause you’d be perfect for it.” Gwaine said, throwing an arm around his shoulders for a moment and ruffing his hair up before sitting down beside them with his lunch tray. 

Arthur rolled his eyes at them and glanced back at Merlin. He wished he could knock that crookedly wide grin off Merlin’s face. He had no right to look that ridiculous, really. What with those impossible ears and that atrocious, red- pink? Cloth wrapped around his neck. 

“So?” Elyan asked, “Can he join?” 

Arthur looked Merlin over twice, sizing him up critically. "Do you think you can keep up, _Mer_ lin? We play a hard game and I won't have any weak players." 

"I can hold my own, thank you." Arthur's eyebrow twitched upward slightly. He'd heard Merlin talking before, but the haughty air with which he addressed Arthur made him feel some kind of way. 

Which was even more ridiculous than the loads of layers the boy wore, despite it being barely cool enough outside to warrant them. 

"Alright. I trust Elyan told you we meet after school, in the park just off campus?" 

Merlin nodded, "Yep. I've all the details. I'll be there." He confirmed. 

"Alright then." Arthur nodded and took a bite of his unpacked food, effectively ending the conversation, though Arthur's mind was entirely occupied. 

The lunch period could not end soon enough. Arthur realized he'd barely tasted his food the entire time after. He'd been too distracted by the conversation between his mates and Merlin. 

He'd learned that Merlin, despite his quiet and studious nature in class, was rather cheeky and a bit loud in social settings. He got on well with the rest of Arthur's mates though. In fact, it seemed as if he'd always been a set feature in his little group. He just _fit_ somehow. Though if Arthur considered it, most of his mates seemed to know him from their own classes together. It was only natural that they’d eventually invite him over. 

These facts bothered Arthur more than he cared to admit. Maybe it was because he hadn’t had the guts to invite or talk to Merlin himself. Or maybe it was because he wasn’t sure how someone that _mouthy_ and sarcastic fit so well? Well... he supposed that wasn't quite his problem either. After all, Gwaine was certainly no saint in that area, or any of the others really, himself included. Okay. So, _maybe_ , he thought, it was the way he _used_ his mouth that irritated him. 

He scoffed and pushed the image of Merlin's moving lips out of his head at once and carried on to his next class when the bell rang, feeling rather flustered about the whole thing. 

~  
The rest of the week seemed to drag on for him now. Rain had made their games postponed and he had no outlet for his energy. On top of this, Merlin had been at his table everyday, and it never failed, that red neckerchief was there too. In fact, Merlin seemed to be everywhere Arthur was and he wasn't sure if he was imagining it, or if it was just coincidence. Even now, in the library, where he thought he'd have some reprieve, there he sat in the middle section of tables, studying with Guinevere. 

She was a lovely sort, Gwen. Very cute and good natured. And Merlin, it seemed, got on with her too. Very well, if their close proximity was anything to say about it. 

He brushed that thought aside when he felt the prickle of irritation and began to wonder instead if he was hiding something beneath the red rag of a neckerchief. _Why else would he wear it everyday?_ He thought.

He tapped his pencil against his notebook, then began to draw once again. He glanced up at his subject a few times as he did so. He noticed that he had a much more gentle smile on his face when talking with Gwen. Relaxed. He wondered briefly if they had been friends for a long time, or if they were more. Gwen seemed to be just as drawn into talking with Merlin as the rest of the people who encountered him. 

Was it just something about Merlin? He pondered, biting the end of his pencil as he paused in his sketching. Deciding he wanted to add a splash of color, he pulled out the colored pencil he thought best matched the shade of the offending garment, and began to fill it into his various doodles. 

"Ah, drawing your obsession again, are we?" 

Arthur's face tinted red and he quickly covered his paper from the prying eyes over his shoulder. "It's none of your business, _Morgana_." He huffed out an irritated sigh. His sister was always so adept at sneaking up on him. "And it's not an obsession." He said petulantly.

"Oh? Then what would you call it? Because…" she trailed off "What's that?" She said suddenly and pointed across the library. 

“What?” Arthur, being the fool he was, looked, and Morgana snatched his notebook. 

" _Be-cause,_ " she continued, "having notebooks filled with the face of some random boy you've been staring at for months and months doesn't really ring as much else."

"Give it back." He said firmly, in lieu of acknowledging her assessment, and reached for it as she started to flip through. 

"Oooh, you sure do like his neckerchief, don't you?" She laughed and sidestepped his hand rather effortlessly. 

"Morgana!" He whisper-shouted at her and jumped out of his seat. 

She ran around the table, putting the length of it between them. "Ooh, were you trying to draw him without it?" She flipped through the most recent ones then. "can't handle the mystery?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Need to see a little skin?" 

"Morgana, so help me. If you don’t put that back in my hands right now, I will make CERTAIN you meet an untimely demise!" He half yelled and lurched across the table. People were staring now and if Merlin so much as looked over here, he knew he'd die of embarrassment. His face was already multiple shades darker than it had been, judging by the heat he felt in his cheeks. 

"Alright, alright." She rolled her eyes. "I'll give it back, but on one condition."

Arthur grit his teeth. " _What_?"

"Ask him out. It's no use just staring at him and hoarding these. Have some guts. You obviously like him a lot."

" Wha- I don't!" Where Morgana could have gotten that idea, he - well he certainly didn't! He couldn't! "It's not like that!" He protested.

"Oh, come off it. If you don't tell him, I will." And with that, she ripped a drawing from his notebook, pocketed it, then shoved the notebook across the table. "Do it!" She said again then ran away quickly, to his horror, over to Merlin’s table. 

He swore he'd kill her. In her sleep. It would be easy. Just a pillow, over her head. Or he could strangle her with her own hair. It was long enough.

His face burned fiercely as he noticed some of the more scrupulous eyes on him, Merlin's included. They’d locked gazes when he followed Morgana’s movement to the table, where she’d taken Gwen’s arm and coaxed her away. 

He grabbed his notebook and hurriedly dashed from the library, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. All the while, cursing himself as well for the stupid fluttery feeling he was fighting in his stomach when he noticed Merlin’s ears move when he smiled wide at him. 

~  
Finally, a clear, sunny Friday was upon them. Arthur was practically vibrating in his seat waiting for the bell to ring in his last period. 

He was anxious to blow off some steam in their game tonight, and it would do him some good. Morgana had continued to threaten him any chance she could and he'd had about enough of it. 

The bell rang and he rushed out as soon as they were dismissed.   
~

"Arthur!" He turned at the sound of his name. 

"Merlin." He greeted back, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"I thought we could walk to the park together?" He grinned and bumped his shoulder with his own in a friendly gesture. 

_Dazzling._ That's the word that floated across Arthur's mind when Merlin smiled at him like that. He nodded and glanced down. "Yeah, sure." 

_Breathe, Pendragon._ he chastised himself. He could feel his skin tingling where Merlin had bumped him.

Despite Arthur's nervousness, he and Merlin had actually become what he'd call friends in the time he'd been at their lunch table. 

"By the way..." Merlin asked as they walked, his voice sounding curious but showing a hint of concern, "Have you been feeling alright?"

"Hmmm?" Arthur glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"It's just, you seem to be rather quiet lately at the lunch table and in class. I couldn't help but wonder if I'd offended you somehow?"

_Yes!_ he wanted to say. _With that stupid attractive mouth. And that stupid ghastly neckerchief. And those stupidly cute ears. And for making him realize that Morgana was actually right. He did have an obsession. Or rather, a bloody, stinking crush that was ruining his composure._

"Uh, no." He said dumbly after much too long. "What gave you that impression?" He tried for a casual tone, but it came off a bit forced. 

"Are you sure? Because it just seems like-" 

"Merlin! Arthur!" Their conversation was interrupted. Lancelot ran up to them and clasped Merlin on the shoulder. "Good, we're all here. Elyan says the forecast calls for rain again, so we'd better get a move on." 

Arthur nodded and glanced down at Lance's hand before nodding to the restrooms. "Gotta get changed real quick. Be out in a sec."

"Same here," Merlin indicated his small duffle bag then followed Arthur. 

Arthur tried his best to ignore the sounds of Merlin unzipping and removing clothing, and focus on his own changing, but he fumbled a few times and almost dropped his shorts in the toilet water.. 

“So…” Merlin’s voice began over the stall door. “Since the day in the library… It just seems like you’ve been avoiding me when we’re in a situation to be alone…” 

“Not sure what you mean.” Arthur answered coyly, trying to make his face cool down from the heat that crept up. 

“Hmmm…” was all Merlin answered.

Arthur took a few last deep breaths and walked out of the stall to see Merlin already at the sink, putting his regular clothes away. All except-

"Do you ever take that off?" He asked before he could stop the words tumbling out. 

"Hm?" Merlin looked at himself questioningly. 

"That scarf." Arthur clarified. "You're always wearing it."

"Oh. Yeah, it's pretty special to me actually. It was a gift." He smiled and adjusted it slightly. 

The motion was so soft that Arthur felt sort of bad for hating it so much. Deciding not to dig into it further, he nodded. "Ready to get your arse kicked?" 

"Ready to watch you fall on yours more like." Merlin grinned in challenge. 

"You talk a big game, but I'd like to see you try."

"You're on, Pendragon." 

Arthur tried to ignore the wild thrill at hearing his name in that tone. 

~ ~ ~  
Two hours later and Arthur felt as though he really should have listened. He thought Merlin was bluffing. But for such a small build, he really did have a lot of power to his legs. A realization that he’d have rather found out in a different way. 

"I'm so sorry, Arthur!" Merlin's frantic voice came from behind as he ran up to Arthur's doubled over form. "Oh...oh no, You're bleeding!"

"Egg- zellent obse-bation, Me-lin," Arthur said sarcastically as he held his gushing nose and tried his best to avoid touching more of his clothes. 

"Here, tilt your head to the side." Merlin instructed. 

He did as told and was greeted with water splashing over his face and diluting the stream of blood. He was thankful for it however because he wasn't sure if he would be able to deal with the blood otherwise. And he rather didn't fancy walking anywhere with his entire face bloodied.

"Here, move your hands." 

He did as told, keeping his eyes closed as he did. He wasn't queasy exactly, but he didn't particularly like the sight of blood either. 

"Come on, hold this here, I'll guide you, we can go to the nurse, see if she's still in." 

"No. No, it's fine, I just need a few moments." He said stubbornly. The last thing he wanted was to have his father called. "Just… sit with me?" He chanced a half glance at Merlin, who looked thoroughly surprised and concerned still.

"I...alright." he agreed and they sat at one of the park benches nearest them. 

Arthur mentally cursed himself for deciding that continuing to play was a good idea. The other’s had made their way home earlier after a few matches, citing homework to do and dinner to be had. Merlin and Arthur both had been reluctant to leave and decided to play one-on-one matches for a bit. If he’d been able to pay attention to the ball more than how pretty Merlin was running around the field, he might have noticed it before it hit him square in the face. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Merlin’s voice was soft and he felt a hand on his arm. 

“I dink so.” He answered stuffily before opening his eyes again with some hesitation. It was quite dark in the park now, but the street lamp illuminated them on the bench well enough. He pulled his hand away from his nose with what Merlin had handed him earlier and dabbed with the back of his hand at his nostrils. It didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore, thankfully. 

Oh. He stared down at his hand again then looked up at Merlin, tilting his head to stare at him crookedly. _Oh._ Merlin’s collarbones peeked out from the surprisingly wide neck shirt he was wearing. And his neck. It was so much more pleasing to his eyes than Arthur had imagined. Slim, pale, He wanted to reach out, touch the space between his shoulder and neck, to feel the muscle there. Maybe beneath his _teeth_. This thought made his face heat up and he quickly averted his eyes to stare at the cloth in his hand. 

_It's pretty special to me actually.”_ The words repeated in his head and now he could feel the familiar pit forming in his stomach. “I’m so sorry, I’ve ruined it.” He said guiltily.

Merlin laughed at this. “Well, that’s fair considering I made you bleed in the first place.” 

“I can buy you another one? Pay for cleaning?” 

“Arthur, don’t worry about it. Here.” He took the soiled cloth from him gingerly and laid it on the end of the bench. Taking his water bottle, he started to pour it over. Some of the redness seeped out easily as it was still damp. He repeated the process a few times before holding it up. “Almost good as new. Albeit a bit more red now.”

“Better than before then.” Arthur said without much thought. 

Merlin scoffed in mock offense. “I knew you hated the color of it. Something about the way you stared at it all the time.” 

“I didn’t! I mean-” Arthur’s brain stuttered as he tried to come up with a better excuse. 

“It’s alright. Anyways, come here.” Merlin moved in closer to him and wrung out the scarf before gently dabbing at Arthur’s face with it. “You still have some blood here.” 

This was what would end him. He could feel it. He hadn’t been quite this close to Merlin before, and Merlin's free hand was on his chin, holding his face steady while he dabbed. 

Merlin’s eyes trailed up to Arthur’s momentarily, then back down to his lips. Arthur noticed the way his pupils dilated slightly and the way he bit at his lower lip. He heard Morgana’s threat in the back of his head, and really if not now, then when would he actually have the courage to ask?

“Do you want to go on a date?” Arthur asked in a rush. 

Merlin stared at him for a moment before a soft laugh escaped him. “You look so startled.” 

“Is that a no?” His heart jumped in his chest now, afraid of the awkwardness he might have created.

“Of course. I would love to.” Merlin grinned, “I thought you’d never ask.”

Arthur grinned back before the pain in his face reminded him he shouldn't. “Although, Maybe next time, we could leave out the face-smashing and blood?”

“Hmmm… I don't know, I might want to smash something else against your face later." Merlin answered.

Arthur was confused for a second before Merlin leaned in suddenly and pressed his lips softly against his own. 

_Oh._ he thought again. He pressed his lips back and his hands easily grabbed the side of Merlin's cheeks. His thumbs skimmed over the crest of those preposterously distracting cheekbones. 

After a few intense moments, they broke apart, both breathless and blushing. 

"That, uh… that kind of smashing to my face, I think I could get on well with it." 

Merlin grinned, "Me too." 

They both began to laugh and suddenly, Arthur felt all the prior frustration leaving him. Maybe that terrible off-color neckerchief wasn't so bad afterall. 

~~~  
Bonus:

"So??" Morgana asked excitedly. 

"So uh…." 

"Come on Merlin, spill it." Gwen egged on, shoving his shoulder very lightly. 

"So we have a date."

"FINALLY!" Morgana relaxed in her seat on Gwen's bed. "You don't know how insufferable he's been just brooding to himself and drooling over you."

Merlin blushed. " And um… we may have kissed…"

"No way!" Gwen laughed. "That quick?" 

"Yeah… I mean, I kissed him. But he certainly didn't mind." 

"Okay, new rule, no talking about that when I'm around! I don't need to hear you gush about my brother's kissing!"

"Fair enough. You helped in this so I can abide by that." 

"If Arthur asks though, I didn't show you." 

He nodded in agreement, but couldn't help the fluttery feeling he had. "And you said he's got a whole notebook full of these?" He held up the ripped out drawing Morgana had given him. 

"Yes. It's quite impressive actually. He's got your likeness down perfectly."

"Well, he's only going to get to know it better. Probably best to stop sneaking up on him." 

"Gwen!" Morgana threw the pillow she held at her and Merlin and Gwen burst out laughing. 

It was definitely a night he wouldn't forget.


End file.
